Driver involved in three-car pileup airlifted to Chattanooga

Staff photo by John Coffelt - Pictured is the vehicle driven by Ernie Bouldin, who was airlifted to Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga after crashing Tuesday on Highway 55.

A Smartt Station man was flown to Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga after being involved in a three-vehicle crash at approximately 2 p.m. Tuesday on Highway 55 near the Coffee – Warren County line.

According to a report by Tennessee Highway Patrolman Carl Seagroves, a 2009 Chevrolet HHR operated by Ernie Bouldin, 30, of Smartt Station, Morrison, struck the rear of 1995 GMC pickup that was pulling a flat bed trailer with a farm tractor on it that was operated by Jack Cock, 56, of Morrison.

Bouldin’s vehicle then went airborne and struck a Frontier operated by Milton Whitsett, 41, of Oak Drive, Manchester.

Manchester Fire and Rescue Department personnel worked for over 40 minutes to free Bouldin from the crashed HHR.

After he was freed, Bouldin was placed in a waiting helicopter and flown to the Chattanooga hospital for treatment.

Weekly Poll

With the merger of our two local hospitals into Unity Medical Center, do you expect better healthcare?